1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to a complete measuring system for a seat assembly of an automotive vehicle.
2. Background of Invention
Automotive vehicles include seat assemblies for supporting occupants within the vehicle. Such seat assemblies include a seat cushion and a seat back coupled to the seat cushion. The seat cushion is fixedly secured to the floor of the vehicle. Often such seat assemblies include various movable components for adjusting the seat assembly to accommodate and improve safety and comfort to the occupant supported by the seat assembly. For example, the seat assembly may include a headrest supported by the seat back and adjustable in a generally vertical up and down direction for occupant safety and comfort. The seat assembly may also includes an adjuster mechanism mounted between the floor of the vehicle and the seat cushion for providing fore and aft adjustment of the seat assembly. Still further, the seat assembly may include a recliner mechanism interconnecting the seat back and seat cushion for providing pivotal movement of the seat back relative to the seat cushion.
These seat components require a certain predetermined force, or effort, for moving and adjusting the component. The seat components also include a predetermined range of movement, or travel, for adjusting the component and accommodating various seat occupants. Therefore, it is often necessary to measure the amount of effort required to operate the various components as well as the length, or distance, of travel defining the range of adjustment of the various components.
Such efforts and travels may be measured manually and individually for each component of the seat assembly. However, it is desirable to measure any seat assembly with any of such variety of components with a complete seat measuring system.
The present invention relates to a measuring system for measuring the efforts and range of travel of one or more movable components on a seat assembly. The measuring system comprises a seat positioning station for supporting and positioning the seat assembly. The seat positioning assembly includes a support platform for fixedly securing and supporting the seat assembly and an indexing mechanism supporting the support platform for rotating the support platform between one of a plurality of indexing positions. A multi-axis measuring station is supported at a predetermined position adjacent to the seat positioning station for cooperating with the seat assembly supported and positioned by the seat positioning station in one of the indexing positions. The multi-axis measuring station includes a support platform fixedly secured at the predetermined position adjacent the seat positioning station, a first measuring arm coupled to the support platform and movable along a first x-axis, a second measuring arm coupled to the first measuring arm and movable along a second y-axis, a third measuring arm coupled to the second measuring arm and movable along a third z-axis, and a tool arm coupled to the third measuring arm and movable along a rotational r-axis for supporting a tool adapted to engage one of the components of the seat. A controller is operatively coupled to the seat positioning station and the multi-axis measuring station for controlling movement of the stations and generating outputs of the measured efforts and range of travel of one of the movable components on the seat assembly during engagement and manipulation thereof by the multi-axis measuring station while supported and positioned by the seat positioning station in one of the indexing positions.